Had this whole post all ready with pics and everything and got logged out. So a quick text recap will have to do.
Was thinking recently about companies/brands/products that were previously leaders in design that have lapsed or become directionless. I’m not much interested in what actually was the history (usually something to do with corporate takeovers, losing great design leadership, etc), though that can be interesting to, but more focused in my mind on who the great design brands were, and how hard they’ve fallen…
For consideration -
Braun
From leading modernist product design under Rams to more plastic junk.
Electrohome
Some great design products in the 60’s (bubble record players, etc.) to cheap plastic junk at wal-mart.
GE
50’s leader in Chrome kitchen appliances, fans, fridges, you name it. Now slaps logos on cheap digital cameras and probably more concerned with light bulbs and buying other companies.
VW
Nevermind the greatness of the original bug, Karmann Ghia, etc. but was a design leader in the late 90’s and 00’s thanks to the New Beetle. Now, I dunno.
Herman Miller
I’m sure they make some nice stuff now, but really, have they ever been the design leader they were with Eames, Nelson + crew at hand in the 60’s
IBM
Selectric Typewriter, even the Sapper designed computers, not to mention the logo by Rand. Now Lenovo is still doing the black box and IBM is doing what exactly?
Chrysler/GM/Lincoln/Cadillac/ etc.
Too much to even mention here. Ever seen a 1964 Chrysler Imperial or a 62 Cadillac Coupe DeVille? Enough said.
VW
Nevermind the greatness of the original bug, Karmann Ghia, etc. but was a design leader in the late 90’s and 00’s thanks to the New Beetle. Now, I dunno.
Germans IMO have always lacked the serious automotive styling skills, esp compared to US and Japanese makers.
Herman Miller
I’m sure they make some nice stuff now, but really, have they ever been the design leader they were with Eames, Nelson + crew at hand in the 60’s.
Aeron by SWA was a pretty influential moment in contract furniture and definitely as influential as the Eames’ work - it just hasn’t had 50 years to proliferate. Goes for Mirra, too, to a lesser extent.
IBM
Selectric Typewriter, even the Sapper designed computers, not to mention the logo by Rand. Now Lenovo is still doing the black box and IBM is doing what exactly?
Check out IBM’s “Smarter Planet” series. They’ve made a pretty serious shift into quality business consulting. They know making consumer level hardware isn’t a good place to be without an iTunes.
Chrysler/GM/Lincoln/Cadillac/ etc.
Too much to even mention here. Ever seen a 1964 Chrysler Imperial or a 62 Cadillac Coupe DeVille? Enough said.
Most of the Cadillacs since '04 or so (Art and Science) have been killer compared to their sleepy German counterparts. Ford has been on a relentless resurgence the past four or five years - totally world class products.
German design used to be classic and excellent. 60’s VWs, MB, BMW, all classic and standards. Early Japanese cars perhaps, but the question is more about why VW lost the design edge and the latest VWs are nothing more than knock-off Audis at best.
yes, Aeron will be in the history books, but what else? HM used to have notoriety across consumers and business alike and now at best some design-centric people in enterprise know HM. General public, not so much.
never heard of smart planet. Talking about consumer product design and I don’t see IBM in this sphere.
Really, Even the latest Caddy despite N’ring boasting times I don’t think is anywhere close to the past in terms of comparison to BMW. Design alone is more the issue and has nothing to stand on compared to the oldies mentioned.
Could easily be done today. Easily. I agree RK, where are they today? They certainly aren’t the power house they used to be.
But does your issue with these companies speak to what’s happened in the world around us since? Stay at Herman Miller, for example. In 1950s, the modern corporate office as we know it today was being pioneered. HM made and designed EVERYTHING for the work place then. Desks, chairs, lamps, furnishings, textiles, all of which were things that had never been imagined (well, if you take HM and Steelcase together, but you could say the same things about Steelcase). Now, what’s being produced is exactly what’s expected. Grey extrusions, fabric panels, maybe some 3Form or something and a mesh tech-y looking chair. Now you’ve made it in the business world.
The same can be said for automobiles. In the 50s and 60s the automobile was at the apex of American values. The Cadillac was the best of the best. Once new automobiles every 3 years became more and more obtainable to everyone in the country, the auto makers had to do something and that move was dumb the models down to move units. Cadillac still produced a perceived quality automobile, but nothing the likes of the 50s and 60s models. I believe they’re starting to hit their stride as a company in the last 5 years or so, brand, marketing, and design-wise. It may not be the Coupe de Ville of yesteryear, but in 30 years we might look back at these models as the beginning of what was to come.
BRAUN lost track after it was bought by : “Gillette” !
lots of “Synergy” here and might have made sense financially.
But the beancounters nearly ruined it.
BRAUN has a new design team and a new directions since 2010. So watch them come back!
I know people that work at all of those places, from Braun, VW, IBM, Herman Miller to GM and Chrysler. I don’t think I know anyone at Sony currently. There is a lot of effort going on under the surface, and a lot of people working hard to bring both vision and action to bare. Some of them read these forums frequently. I know it is difficult to talk about such things when you work for a corporation, but maybe there are few stories out there that can be shared to give some insight to the design community?
This is partially why we started the case study program on the front page, 3 or 4 went live yesterday, to give companies and firms a chance to tell those stories on a by designers for designers basis.
I hope nobody takes my post personally. Of course it wasn’t meant to be an across the board “fail” label. Rather, just an observation perhaps how a series of small or large changes with respect to a design philosophy can over time consume a brand/product/design from a position of design leadership to a different track.
Personally, I think there is more to it than the surface. It’s a function of the role of designers with a company, the size of a company, even societies understanding or appreciation of design. It’s no accident that almost all the brands mentioned existed in the 60s during the heyday (some could argue) of design. Also, of course, most of these companies were fairly new/small when they lead by design. It’s a lot easier to take a design risk or make a statement when there is less at stake. It also should of course be observed the difference in International markets and distribution then vs. now.
Of course I would love to have a Braun now that echos the Braun of the past. Somehow I just think it is extremely difficult given where the brand is today no matter how great the design team is. Not impossible mind you, but difficult.
All that being said, I think it’s fair to take a look at brand/products/design that had led by design and established themselves in such a way that later veered off course.
This might be a moment to step back from design for a second and appreciate the affect of a few people and their relationships on a companies path and focus. Eliot Noyes at IBM had direct relationships with the board and CEO, prior to his tenure at IBM (where he designed the Seletric, hired Rand, Eames, and more…) he was design curator for the MoMA so his reputation and relationships enabled him to affect change. Dieter Rams coupled with the Braun Brothers’ vision did amazing things for a little radio manufacturer their father built. When those iconic titans leave, it can be difficult to figure out what to do next. At GM, Harley Earl selected a great successor in Bill Mitchel at GM, and Bill’s was Chuck Jordan, all amazing design visionaries, but Harley and Bill were enabled to do thing’s that Chuck was not.
A few pieces that might be of interest:
GM and Chuck Jordan:
Also want to add Polaroid to the list. They innovated with the SX-70 deigned by Henry Dreyfuss and fell into cheap digicams in the 00s. New Polaroid Lady Gaga glasses shown at CES could mean a comeback?
German design used to be classic and excellent. 60’s VWs, MB, BMW, all classic and standards. Early Japanese cars perhaps, but the question is more about why VW lost the design edge and the latest VWs are nothing more than knock-off Audis at best.
yes, Aeron will be in the history books, but what else? HM used to have notoriety across consumers and business alike and now at best some design-centric people in enterprise know HM. General public, not so much.
never heard of smart planet. Talking about consumer product design and I don’t see IBM in this sphere.
Really, Even the latest Caddy despite N’ring boasting times I don’t think is anywhere close to the past in terms of comparison to BMW. Design alone is more the issue and has nothing to stand on compared to the oldies mentioned.
I realize designers are supposed to like German styling, but I find their cars tedious and awkward looking. I have yet to see one - any era - that approaches the coolness of the new CTS coupe - which is totally on the same level as the '67 Eldo- or the new Nissan Z’s (or old Z’s), almost any 'Vette - especially the Stingray years, even the lowly '78 Firebird. Let alone the Plymouth Sport Fury, the '67-‘72 GM C/K series, J.Mays’ Mustang reboot, the 2010 Fusion, Honda CRX, Grand Nationals, etc. And a hundred others. It’s kind of like rock n roll - for some reason the Germans just don’t grasp it.
IBM spun off consumer product to Lenovo a few years ago so they could concentrate on more differentiable services like business consulting, analytics, data gathering technology, etc. Decided the lower margins in the consumer industry weren’t worth pursuing. Here’s a link to some of their recent work.
I think VW is not that bad. They have lost some of their edgyness yes but the brand is also in a different position now.
Golf mk1 was the great little nicely priced car for the masses. Current Golf is a high-end compact costing way above similar size jap cars. VW has slowly elevated their brand and is now positioned just below audi/merc/bmw. Their current styling supports that direction.
